When moving furniture with drawers, you need to decide whether to leave the drawers in place or take them out and move them separately. Removing the drawers will make the furniture lighter – and, therefore, safer and easier to move – but the piece will be less stable without them and the drawers will take up extra space in the moving truck. Besides, leaving the drawers in will save you time and effort when preparing your items for moving.
If you decide to keep the drawers inside the furniture, however, the risk of accidents during the move will increase – the furniture piece will be heavier and more likely to get dropped, the items in the drawers may shift and get damaged, the drawers may slide open or even fall out, etc.
If the drawers open while the furniture is taken in or out of the home, they may hit a wall, a railing, or a doorframe and cause damage to them; or they may hit the person carrying the furniture and hurt them; or the contents of the drawers may spill out and get damaged or cause damages and/or injuries. And if a drawer falls out, it may break or cause its contents to get broken, or cause severe property damage, or cause serious personal injuries.
So, if you choose to leave the drawers inside the furniture when moving, it’s crucial to secure them well – so they don’t open and don’t fall out during the move.
But how to do that? How to keep drawers closed when moving? How to prevent them from falling out?
You have several good options:
Option 1. Lock the drawers
Some furniture pieces have lockable drawers – and when it comes to drawers with locks, keeping them closed during your house move is not a problem. All you need to do to prevent the drawers from opening is to lock them before the relocation.
Good to know: Drawers without locks can also be locked:
- Use magnetic locks – Install the magnetic mechanism (opt for an adhesive one, so you can easily remove it after the move if you wish so) on the inside of the drawer – when closed, the drawer will be locked automatically. To open the drawer, you need the magnetic key that comes with the lock;
- Use adhesive locks – Adhesive locks consist of an adjustable strap with two adhesive pads locks – just attach one end to the side of the furniture and the other end to the front of the drawer to keep it securely closed during the relocation.
Option 2. Secure the drawers with ropes or bungee cords
The oldest trick in the book – placing a rope, cord, or strap around the furniture piece and tying it tightly in place – also works great for keeping drawers closed during a move. Depending on the number and layout of the drawers and the size and design of the furniture, you may need to use several ropes or cords in order to secure all the drawers.
If the drawers have knobs or handles, you can attach the ropes or cords to them for better security.
Option 3. Tape the drawers in place
When wondering how to keep drawers from flying open during a move, the most logical solution is to tape them closed.
Keep in mind though that the tape adhesive may damage the finish of the drawers – be sure not to use heavy-duty packing tape as it may leave a sticky residue on the furniture surface and ruin the delicate wood finish. Use quality painter’s tape instead – it is strong enough to hold the drawers securely in place but the adhesive is safe for the furniture finish.
See also: How to remove tape residue when unpacking after a move
Option 4. Secure the drawers with plastic wrap
One of the easiest ways to prevent drawers from sliding open and falling out when moving is to wrap several layers of stretch wrap over the closed drawers and around the furniture piece.
This method, however, is not appropriate for wood drawers – it’s not safe to use plastic wrap directly on wood furniture, as moisture may get trapped underneath the plastic material and ruin the delicate furniture finish, cause the wood to warp, or result in mold growth.
See also: How to use plastic wrap for moving
Option 5. Wrap the furniture piece in moving blankets and plastic wrap
The best way to keep drawers secured in place during a house move is to close them tightly and wrap the entire furniture piece in moving blankets – the blankets will go over the closed drawers and will hold them in place, while also protecting them from damage during loading, transportation, and unloading.
Use stretch wrap to secure the blankets around the furniture pieces – and secure the drawers once again.
See also: How to pack furniture for moving
Bonus tip: Ensure the safety of the drawers’ contents
Now that you know how to keep drawers from falling out when moving, you can rest assured that the risk of accidents involving your drawer furniture will be as low as possible. Yet, you need to take measures to reduce the risk of damage to the contents of the drawers too.
Your best option is to empty the drawers before preparing the furniture for moving and pack the items that were in them in moving boxes. This way, the contents of the drawers will be perfectly safe during the move and the furniture piece will be lighter and safer to handle.
Emptying the drawers, however, will take you a lot of time and effort. Besides, you will need more packing supplies and your goods will take more space in the moving truck.
It will be much easier, much more convenient, and even a little cheaper to leave the drawers full. If you decide to do so, though, you need to take some extra precautions:
- Take any fragile items out of the drawer and pack them separately – it is safe to leave clothes and linens in dresser drawers, for example, but glass items, porcelain items, electronic devices, jewels, and any other breakable items should always be removed from the furniture before the move;
- Make sure the drawer can closely tightly – if necessary, remove some items from the drawer, so it’s not overstuffed;
- Make sure the items in the drawer can’t shift around during transit – add some towels or other soft, lightweight items inside the drawer to provide extra cushioning and keep the contents of the drawer snuggly in place;
- Place several sheets of packing paper over the items in the drawer – to form a protective layer;
- Secure the drawer as described above.
Must-read: How to pack drawers for moving
